Paw Prints the Magazine

Don’t Rain On My Parade

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Living in the Midwest we have the luxury of experiencing all four seasons. Many of us who live here however, have one particular season we could do with out, Spring. The saying April showers bring May flowers is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. People that aren’t brought up in the Midwest always tell me how they love the spring here because everything around them is so green. With the green comes what we hate… MUD!

Well... I'm waiting

Having pets here in the Kansas City, Missouri area brings a huge problem when the rains begin; wet dog. No matter what I tried I just couldn’t get all of the rain water dried out of the dogs’ coat. They even sit so patiently to get toweled off after coming in from the rain but the sofa, chair and loveseat still end up wet. (Yes, we do allow our pets on the furniture.) I especially love it when one of the dogs comes in through the doggy door during a rain storm and shakes all the water off. We now have wet walls, ceiling, dining room table, TV etc.

It’s mid September now and hurricane season is in full swing on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. You wouldn’t think that here in Missouri and Kansas we would think about hurricanes, but when a hurricane makes landfall we can usually expect that within a week we will have a deluge of rain and thunderstorms. That is exactly what we are experiencing now. Normally I wouldn’t be very happy about it but this rainstorm gives me the perfect chance to test out the Ruff Wear Sun Shower™ all-season waterproof rain jacket.

Here is what Ruff Wear Says:

• Dogs need to get outside no matter the weather, even when it’s raining cats and dogs.
• With the Sun Shower rain jacket, your dog will stay dry and mud-free in wet conditions. Quick-release buckles on each side of the jacket provide easy on/off.
• With many of the same features as a high-end human rain coat, your best friend can stay dry and comfortable even when skies are stormy.

Here is what we say:
With it raining cats and dogs outside, I put on my rain gear, called over our Border Collie/Shetland Sheep Dog mix, Keegan, and within seconds had him in the Sun Shower rain jacket. It did take a bit longer than normal to get it on him. He and our other dogs were very excited to see me put on my hat and coat. That is a sure sign we are going outside to play some fetch. Thus I had our St. Bernard mix, Clyde, with his nose in everything Keegan and I were trying to do.

"this coat is so cool, I hope the neighbors see me in it"

With Keegan and me in our rain gear, I grabbed the flying disc, camera, and out to the backyard we went. The rain was coming down, the disc was flying across the yard and Keegan was on the run. The Sun Shower rain Jacket has a zip off rain hood on it. We kept the hood on for this test. It had a tendency to flip back off Keegans’ head every once in a while but we were playing catch with a disc. When he was just walking it stayed in place. I did notice he sometimes lost sight of the disc because the hood would block his line of sight. We spent about five minutes in a downpour while we tested the jacket. Giving Keegan the command “that will do”, that is his signal that the game or work is over, we headed back inside.

I bent down and started taking Keegans’ jacket off. I was impressed. Keegan was dry as could be, while Clyde, our St. Bernard that was helping, was soaked. He needed drying off. Keegan on the other hand went in to his water bowl for a drink and never dripped a drop of rain water off him. Even when he shook, there was no water spraying around the house. The Sun Shower rain jacket is a WINNER!

The Sun Shower rain jacket is the perfect edition to Keegans’ gear for our camping adventure series, Expedition Paw Prints. For those long wet days hiking, backpacking or sitting around the campsite, I no longer will worry about the “wet dog” in the tent come nightfall. The Sun Shower rain jacket’s built to not only keep the back of you dog dry but it also has a chest piece that helps keep your dogs under belly dry.

Its key features are:

• Taped seams keep water out
• Oversized shape to cover more surface area
• Removable storm hood for neck and head protection
• PVC-free, breathable fabric allows water vapor to escape, so fur stays dry
• 3M™ Scotchlite™ reflective trim for enhanced visibility
• Duraflex® Autolock Vee Buckle for ease of entry

So whether you take your dog out on multi day adventures in the rain like me or just want to go for a walk around the block when the weather turns wet, you can count on the Sun Shower rain jacket from Ruff Wear to protect your companion from the rain.

Ruff Wear is an official gear supplier for our Expedition Paw Prints series. For more information about Ruff Wear, visit their website at www.RuffWear.com

Tags: border collie, Paw Prints, Rain coat, Ruff Wear, Shetland Sheep Dog, Sun shower rain Jacket